Albert Einstein, creator of the theory of relativity, Nobel Prize winner, and striver for world peace, is almost as well known for his physical appearance as for his epochal work in theoretical physics. Characteristic of that appearance was a pipe. Although in his later years he restricted his smoking on doctors' orders, he couldn't bear to give up the tactile experience of a pipe itself. This one, in fact, gives evidence of Einstein's long usage in a hole he wore through its bit. He was still in the habit of holding it when in 1953 he gave it to a friend and admirer, Gina Plunguian, from whom it ultimately came to the Museum. It has become the most popular object in the Modern Physics collection.
Location:
Currently not on view
Related Publication:
Kendrick, Kathleen M. and Peter C. Liebhold. Smithsonian Treasures of American History
